Local Wildlife Sightings, March 2023

 March is usually a quiet month weatherwise, but the first half of March 2023 brought lots of rain, sleet and snow to Royston, wildly fluctuating temperatures (but usually cold) and gale force winds on the 13th, which blew down a large Broom bush in the front garden, necessitating much 'recovery' work. Thank goodness that I had had my 'leaning' 50 year old garden fence replaced the previous week! Blackcaps continued to visit the garden from time to time, chasing the finches from the feeders but disappearing as soon as they saw me. Gulls continued to appear at Hatchpen Farm on cloudy and/or wet afternoons (but not when it was dry and sunny!), with at least four species present on the 9th. Whilst I was watching the gulls a familiar call alerted me to the presence of a Curlew, flying east over the farm. This was only my second local Curlew sighting. A pair of Ravens were seen on a wintry visit to Scales Park on the 8th.

Male Blackcap, My Garden, 4 March

My (now monthly) walk around the villages on the 14th showed some interesting contrasts. Whereas Greys Farm, formerly a haven for raptors and other birds in the winter, has become a virtually bird free prairie (at least, when viewed from the Icknield Way), Phillup's Lake, south of Reed End, is now showing distinct promise. Despite lacking vegetation (except for a very small reed bed at the southern end) seven species of water bird were present including the long-staying pair of Gadwall (will they attempt to breed here?), a pair of Tufted Ducks (ditto), four Coot (which bred here in 2022), five Canada Geese (which also bred here last year) and two male Little Grebes, calling from opposite ends of the lake. It will be interesting to see what develops here through the spring and summer. Another notable sighting was that of a Marsh Tit in Reed village. Marsh Tits are becoming increasingly hard to find locally, with the remaining population in North East Hertfordshire of this very sedentary bird seemingly restricted now to woodland in the Reed/Barkway/Nuthampstead/Anstey/Meesden area. I hope that this delightful little bird will continue to survive and not disappear, as it has done in other parts of the region.

Coot (a Rare Bird in my Local Area), Phillup's Lake, 14 March

Milder, but still very unsettled conditions continued in the second half of the month. Over the period that I have been keeping records (since 1992), March has been comfortably the driest month of the year in Royston but 2023 was easily the wettest March on record, with 104mm (4.1 inches) of rain, sleet and snow falling, comfortably eclipsing the previous 'best' of 75mm. South westerly winds brought in early summer visitors. with a singing Chiffchaff heard from the back garden on the 20th. On the following day, a walk across The Heath produced seven more singing Chiffchaffs. Also notable were at least six singing Greenfinches. This species seems to be slowly recovering from the enormous disease-related losses throughout the previous decade. Two Grey Partridges were also seen on The Heath, whilst closer to home two male Blackcaps (probably still over-wintering birds) were also singing. A handful of Pasque Flowers were showing on the south side of Church Hill. A sighting of a Brimstone butterfly near Royston Hospital on the 21st, signalled the start, much later than usual, of my 'Butterfly Season' and a second species, a Comma, was seen on the 23rd at Hatchpen Farm. Plenty of early Wheatears were present in the county: I failed to find any locally, but saw three in a field next to the Baldock to Wallington road on the 17th. A Sparrowhawk (probably a young male) paid a very brief and unsuccessful visit to the back garden on the 24th, making a couple of circuits round the bird feeders before flying off. I've never actually seen a Sparrowhawk in the back garden before, although very occasional piles of feathers have been found on the lawn. However, the reappearance of (presumably) the same bird on the 27th made me think that this was a 'new kid on the block', which had incorporated the garden into its circuit.

Chiffchaff, Therfield Heath, 21 March

Pasque Flower, Therfield Heath (Church Hill), 21 March

The Gadwall and Canada Geese had gone when I returned to Phillup's Lake on the 27th, but four Coot were still there and one pair had built a nest in the small Reed Bed. The pair of Tufted Ducks were still there as well, as was at least one Little Grebe. Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were present in big numbers on The Heath when I visited on the 29th and both species were singing and displaying. On my way back I spotted a single Lapwing in flight near Royston Hospital, my first local sighting of this species since last summer. The final day of the month proved to be the wettest, with over 20mm of rain falling, keeping me inside all day.

Meadow Pipit, Therfield Heath, 29 April